National Briefing | West: California: Windmills Vs. The Birds

Published: September 24, 2005

Alameda County officials have voted to force windmill operators at Altamont Pass, one of the nation's most productive wind power regions, to reduce bird fatalities. The Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 1 on Thursday to renew 29 permits covering more than 3,600 wind turbines in the area, which has become a death trap for thousands of migrating birds that collide with turbine blades. Operators will be required to shut down all the turbines for at least two months each winter and to eliminate the 100 most lethal ones. The board also voted to require full-time monitoring of bird deaths, the formation of a scientific review committee and a plan to protect bird habitat.